King Philip’s War, 1675–1678

King Philip’s War began in 1675 after decades of colonial expansion, disputed sovereignty and deteriorating relations between English settlements and Indigenous nations. Metacom, known to the English as King Philip, became the leading figure in a coalition that attacked settlements across New England.

The conflict killed a high proportion of both colonial and Indigenous populations, destroyed towns and ended with the death of Metacom and the defeat, enslavement or displacement of many Native communities. Benjamin Church became prominent for using mixed units and negotiated surrenders against the coalition.

For books and historical fiction, the war provides a setting of frontier violence, shifting alliances, captivity, religious interpretation and the collapse of earlier diplomacy. Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower and the primary sources collected in The Mayflower Papers connect the war to the history of Plymouth Colony.